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away childish things. For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then, face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know, even as also I am known. And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.

ST. PAUL.

175. THE RIGHTS OF THE PLEBEIANS.

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WHAT an insult upon us is this? If we are not so rich as the patricians, are we not citizens of Rome as well as they? inhabitants of the same country? members of the same community? The nations bordering upon Rome, and even strangers more remote, are admitted, not only to marriage with us, but to what is of much greater importance, the freedom of the city. Are we, because we are commoners, to be worse treated than strangers? And, when we demand that the people may be free to bestow their offices and dignities on whom they please, do we ask any thing unreasonable or new? Do we claim more than their original inherent right? What occasion, then, for all this uproar, as if the universe were falling to ruin? They were just going to lay violent hands upon me in the senate-house.

What! must this empire, then, be unavoidably overturned? must Rome of necessity sink at once, if a plebeian, worthy of the office, should be raised to the consulship? The patricians, I am persuaded, if they could, would deprive you of the common light. It certainly offends them that you breathe, that you speak, that you have the shapes of men. Nay, but to make a commoner a consul, would be, say they, a most enormous thing. Numa Pompilius, however, without being so much as a Roman citizen, was made king of Rome. The elder Tarquin, by birth not even an Italian, was nevertheless placed upon the throne. Servius Tullius, the son of a captive woman, obtained the kingdom as the reward of his wisdom and virtue. In those days, no man in whom virtue shone conspicuous, was rejected or despised on account of his race and descent.

CANULEIUS.

176. BRUTUS JUSTIFYING THE ASSASSINATION OF CESAR. ROMANS, Countrymen, and lovers! hear me for my cause; and be silent, that you may hear. Believe me for mine honor;

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and have respect to mine honor, that you may believe. Censure me in your wisdom; and awake your senses, that you may the better judge. If there be any in this assembly, any dear friend of Cæsar's, to him I say, that Brutus' love to Cæsar was no less than his. If then that friend demand why Brutus rose against Cæsar, this is my answer,-not that I loved Cæsar less, but that I loved Rome more.

Had you rather Cæsar were living, and die all slaves, than that Cæsar were dead, to live all freemen? As Cæsar loved me, I weep for him; as he was fortunate, I rejoice at it; as he was valiant, I honor him; but, as he was ambitious, I slew him. There are tears, for his love; joy, for his fortune; honor, for his valor; and death, for his ambition. Who's here so base, that would be a bondman? If any, speak; for him have I offended. Who's here so rude, that would not be a Roman ? If any, speak; for him have I offended. Who's here so vile, that will not love his country? If any, speak; for him have I offended. I pause for a reply.

None! Then none have I offended. I have done no more to Cæsar than you shall do to Brutus. The question of his death is enrolled in the capitol; his glory not extenuated, wherein he was worthy; nor his offences enforced, for which he suffered death.

Here comes his body, mourned by Mark Antony; who, though he had no hand in his death, shall receive the benefit of his dying-a place in the commonwealth; as which of you shall not? With this I depart; that, as I slew my best lover for the good of Rome, I have the same dagger for myself, when it shall please my country to need my death.

SHAKSPEARE.

177. HAMLET'S ADDRESS TO THE PLAYERS.

SPEAK the speech, I pray you, as I pronounced it to you, trippingly on the tongue; but if you mouth it, as many of our players do, I had as lief the town-criers spoke my lines. Nor do not saw the air too much with your hand, thus; but use all gently; for in the very torrent, tempest, and (as I may say) whirlwind of your passion, you must acquire and beget a temperance, that may give it smoothness. Oh, it offends me to the soul, to hear a robustious periwig-pated fellow tear a passion to tatters, to very rags, to split the ears of the groundlings; who,

for the most part, are capable of nothing but inexplicable dumbshows and noise: I would have such a fellow whipped for o'erdoing Termageus; it out-herods Herod: I pray you avoid it. Be not too tame neither, but let your own discretion be your tutor: suit the action to the word, the word to the action; with this special observance, that you o'erstep not the modesty of nature for any thing so overdone is from the purpose of playing, whose end, both at the first and now, was, and is, to hold, as it were, the mirror up to nature; to show virtue her own feature, scorn her own image, and the very age and body of the time, his form and pressure. Now this, overdone, or come tardy off, though it make the unskilful laugh, cannot but make the judicious grieve; the censure of which one, must in your allowance o'erweigh a whole theatre of others. Oh, there be players, that I have seen play, and heard others praise, and that highly, not to speak it profanely, that, neither having the accent of Christians, nor the gait of Christian, Pagan, nor man, have so strutted and bellowed, that I have thought some of nature's journeymen had made men, and not made them well, they imitated humanity so abominably. SHAKSPEARE.

COMIC AND AMUSING SELECTIONS.

1. ONE GOOD TURN DESERVES ANOTHER.

WILL WAG went to see Charley Quirk,

More famed for his books than his knowledge, In order to borrow a work

He had sought for in vain over college.

But Charley replied, "My dear friend,
You must know I have sworn and agreed
My books from my room not to lend,-
But you may sit by my fire and read."

Now it happened, by chance, on the morrow,
That Quirk, with a cold, quivering air,
Came his neighbor Will's bellows to borrow,
For his own they were out of repair.

But Willy replied, "My dear friend,
I have sworn and agreed, you must know,
my bellows I never will lend,-
But you may sit by my fire and blow."

That

MRS. GILMAN

2. THE DILATORY SCHOLAR.

OH! where is my hat?-it is taken away,
And my shoestrings are all in a knot!
I can't find a thing where it should be to-day,
Though I've hunted in every spot.

My slate and my pencil nowhere can be found,
Though I placed them as safe as could be;
While my books and my maps are all scattered around,
And hop about just like a flea.

Do, Rachel, just look for my Atlas, up stairs;
My Virgil is somewhere there, too;

And, sister, brush down these troublesome hairs,—
And, brother, just fasten my shoe.

And, mother, beg father to write an excuse;
But stop-he will only say "No,"

And go on with a smile, and keep reading the news,
While every thing bothers me so.

My satchel is heavy and ready to fall;
This old pop-gun is breaking my map;
I'll have nothing to do with the pop-gun or ball,—
There's no playing for such a poor chap!

The town-clock will strike in a minute, I fear;
Then away to the foot I must sink :-
There, look at my History, tumbled down here!
And my Algebra covered with ink!

I wish I'd not lingered at breakfast the last,
Though the toast and the butter were fine:
I think that our Edward must eat very fast,
To be off when I haven't done mine.

Now, Edward and Henry protest they won't wait,
And beat on the door with their sticks;

I suppose they will say I was dressing too late :
To-morrow I'll be up at six.

MRS. GILMAN.

3. ORATOR puff.

MR. ORATOR PUFF had two tones in his voice,
The one squeaking thus, and the other down so;
In each sentence he uttered he gave you your choice,
For one half was B alt, and the rest G below.

Oh! oh! Orator Puff,

One voice for an orator's surely enough.

But he still talked away, spite of coughs and of frowns,
So distracting all ears with his ups and his downs,

That a wag once, on hearing the orator say,

"My voice is for war," asked him, "Which of them, pray?" Oh! oh! Orator Puff,

One voice for an orator's surely enough.

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